Irene May Jones (88) of Chatham, formerly of Newton

Irene May Jones, 88, of Chatham, Illinois died Sunday, April 14, 2013 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

Services will be held Friday, April 19 at 1 p.m. at the Crain Funeral Home in Newton with Steve Ingram, minister, officiating. Burial will be at West Lawn Cemetery, Newton.

Irene was born June 18, 1924, the second child of Ira I. and Dorothy (Wagner) May in Newton. She married her high school sweetheart, Wayne D. Jones July 23, 1944. Irene graduated from Newton High School in 1942. She attended Eastern Illinois University until her marriage in 1944 at Camp Wolters, Tex. where her husband was stationed during his officer infantry training in World War II. Mrs. Jones formerly lived for several years in Decatur and Monticello before moving to Inverness, Fla. She moved to Chatham in 2004. She was a member of Inverness Christian Church and regularly attended Chatham Baptist Church. She was a real estate agent in Decatur and secretary for several years at Decatur Lakeview High School and later was secretary at Monticello Christian Church. She was a 4-H leader and active member of the Lakeview High School PTA in Decatur; belonged to many church ladies' groups, garden clubs and won several blue ribbons for her flower arrrangements. She and her husband traveled and camped all over the United States, Canada and Mexico. Her husband and family were always first and foremost in her heart.